To the lonely neurotypical parent…

I saw a post today by a parent of an autistic child. It was reaching out. Reaching out for people. It spoke about the loneliness of being a neurotypical parent who wanted to connect with the people around her, but who put her autistic child's needs first, because they couldn't cope with the interactions. I … Continue reading To the lonely neurotypical parent…

I don’t speak for your child

I can't speak for your child. I keep coming back to this. I can't speak for everyone. I've had a lifetime of people assuming they know what I think by my actions. Assuming that they know who I am at a glance. People still make assumptions. When I write things, those who don't want to … Continue reading I don’t speak for your child

Hiding or Ignored?

There have been a few articles of late about the under-diagnosis of women with autism. I've spent a lot of time nodding along. After-all, I'm late-diagnosed. I was raised with no acknowledgement of my sensory and processing issues. I'm one of the lost generations, lucky enough to be found. But sometimes the rhetoric behind it … Continue reading Hiding or Ignored?

I wanted to be good

That rule-following little girl, she really wanted to be good. She wanted to be able to eat all the food on her plate, even though the textures made her gag. She wanted to not shudder and press her ears to each shoulder in turn, every time you scraped your plate and it made that sound … Continue reading I wanted to be good

Unexpected Side Effects of Autism

There are ways that I am far from the perfect parent. I struggle with the school-gate networking. I find changes to plans hard. I need down time after social occasions, I can't run from one to another constantly. I also struggle with certain routine tasks. Shopping is one of them. Eating regularly is another. My … Continue reading Unexpected Side Effects of Autism

I would have built robots

When I was little I wanted to make robots. I was going to be an inventor. Robots were the future, they were going to be everything, and I was going to design them. I'd spend ages drawing pictures of different tin-cans with claws and wheels and springs. I remember being frustrated that I didn't know … Continue reading I would have built robots

Parenting and Autisming

There are many articles about parenting a child with autism, but what about parenting when you're the autistic one? I've read a couple of articles that suggested that autism couldn't be an evolutionary step or a genetic trait, because autistic people don't like relationships and so wouldn't produce children. I should probably let all the … Continue reading Parenting and Autisming

How to make an Autistic person normal.

I can hear your hackles rising from here. It's not a nice thought, is it? How do you change someone who functions in a different way enough that they can seem the same as everyone else,and should we? Does this cure the person? Does this make them better? Does this treat Autism as some kind … Continue reading How to make an Autistic person normal.